Olympic triple jump : Kazakhstan`s Rypakova leaps to gold

London:Olga Rypakova of Kazakhstan took Olympic gold in the women`s triple jump Sunday.

Rypakova, the world silver medalist, took the title with a third-round jump of 14.98 metres, a season`s best. Daegu bronze medalist Caterine Ibarguen snatched a dramatic silver by a single centimetre with a last-round jump of 14.80. World champion Olha Saladuha of Ukraine thought she had silver in the bag with 14.79 but was bumped down to bronze at the death. Defending champion Tatyana Lebedeva, 36, ended her quest for a sixth Olympic medal when she failed to make the cut, unable to improve on a first-round jump of 14.11. Lebedeva, who won silvers in Sydney and Beijing as well as a bronze in Athens, led a Russian podium sweep in the regular long jump in 2004. IANS